This episode offers an excuse for Kim's lack of promotion. In his talk with his mother he claims that there are only so many senior jobs on board the ship. But this makes no sense - Kim is already in a senior position, and has been since some of the senior officers were killed in the first episode. Sure Janeway can't go around giving everybody promotions or she'll end up with a ship full of Admirals, but Kim should have at least a Lieutenant or Lieutenant Commander rank to go with the position he holds. And in "Datalore" Data stated that he only spent three years as an Ensign, so really Kim should have been promoted long ago.

Great Moment :

The characters of the EMH's holonovel. I especially like Lieutenant Marseilles and the Tribble he balances on his lip.

Body Count :

Zero.

Factoid :

This episode gives a new figure for Voyager's crew - 146 including the EMH.

Plotline

When Voyager establishes regular daily communications contact with Earth, each crew member gets a slot to talk to their family. The EMH uses the time to send a copy of a holonovel he has written back to the publishers back home. The novel is called "Let Photons Be Free", and parallels Voyager's journeys through the Delta Quadrant. Unfortunately, it paints thinly disguised caricatures of the crew in a very bad light and causes friction on board the ship.